Academic Theorising Social Convergence and its Relation to the Xbox Experience: Xbox Events

Xbox Events

Community events and competitions are a vital part of the Xbox Live social network. Since the release of the New Xbox Experience update late last year, there has been a constant flow of promoted events that everyone is encouraged to participate in. This is represented specifically through the Events tab on the Xbox 360 Dashboard which lists all of the upcoming proceedings up to two weeks in advance. These kinds of information systems allow people to make preparations based on the events as stipulated by the Xbox Live team. We then have to ask ourselves “to what extent and in what ways computer games are currently transforming our understanding of as well as the actual construction of personal and cultural identities” (Raessens, 2006. pg53). It is however, extremely beneficial to have a large amount of people playing at the same time to reduce matchmaking times and increase variety of opponents with different skill levels.

This is part of a business model that endeavours to create a respectable social medium comparable to Facebook, but to do so without losing the focus of its identity as a gaming platform. Corporate Vice President for Xbox John Schappert said in the Microsoft E3 conference, “In this uncertain economic climate...now, more than ever before people want to have fun...they want to play games...and they want to connect with each other all from the comfort of the living room...last year the New Xbox Experience accelerated the transformation of our console into a true all in one entertainment device” (2009).

The introduction of the Microsoft Events system builds on social aspects of gaming which have been dominant in the past. Clan and group gaming have been a part of game culture for a number of years and have stimulated the creation of web entities such as the Australian based Telstra BigPond GameArena and the American Major League Gaming corporation.

GameArena is an internet based games website which allows and encourages social gameplay. Throughout the year the site conducts competitions for PC gaming which it hosts on its own servers. At present, GameArena runs one hundred and twenty two servers that are dedicated to thirty different PC games (GameArena.com). The website promotes TeamSpeak which is a program that allows people to connect and chat in real time. This generates a much more socially interactive environment for the players. The tremendous investment in hardware alone is a clear demonstration of just how popular this social multiplayer style gaming can be. It is of no wonder why the Xbox Live team has decided to replicate aspects of this model that has proved so successful in generating a consistent user base.

One of the most important social aspects of the Xbox Live Events system is seen in the Event Calendar found on the Xbox.com website. By viewing the calendar from a computer, users are shown all of the upcoming events and are provided with links to seek out other people who will be participating. There is a definite agenda here that is promoting social game play to ensure that the Xbox Live service maintains a healthy user base and an enjoyable environment for all who use it.